Lux Geo thermostat review – CNET-NewsCO.com.au

Lux’s $149 Geo thermostat, available in the US only, has a flexible design you can mount either horizontally or vertically. You also have the choice of a white or a black finish and the related app makes it easy to set a heating and cooling schedule, as well as a geofencing radius for automatic home and away mode adjustments.

It performs well, and its unique convertible design gives it extra points, but the Geo’s price doesn’t quite match up with what it offers customers. In particular, Lux’s smart thermostat has zero smart-home integrations, where competing models from Honeywell, Ecobee and Emerson all at least work with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. The Lux Geo is a decent choice, but not if you’re in search of the best value.

Giving the Geo a go

Not only is the Lux Geo’s horizontal/vertical mount appealing from a practical standpoint — you may not have to drill new holes in your wall or cover previously hidden patches of last generation’s paint color if you have two mounting options.

It also looks neat. No, it isn’t exactly the modern touchscreen aesthetic we’ve seen lately from Honeywell, Nest and Ecobee, but its minimal digital display and dial controller keep things simple.

Curious about the Geo’s specs and features? Take a peek at this comparison chart:

Comparing smart thermostats

Lux Geo

Honeywell Lyric T5

Ecobee3 Lite

Emerson Sensi

Price

MSRP: $149 Walmart: $115.85

MSRP: $150 Amazon: $123.47

MSRP: $169 Stores: $169

MSRP: $160 Home Depot: $129

Color finish

Black, white

Black

Black

White

Batteries

2 AA lithium batteries (included)

No

No

2 AA batteries (included)

C-wire required

No

Yes

Yes

No

Geofencing

Yes

Yes

No

No

Smart home partners

No

Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit

Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, Wink, IFTTT

Amazon Alexa

The Lux Geo falls in line with the Honeywell Lyric T5, the Ecobee3 Lite and the Emerson Sensi as a new, lower priced thermostat that’s still high-end and mostly smart. No, you won’t find any algorithmic learning or any smart-home integrations here (not yet, at least — Lux says it has an Alexa skill coming “around March 1”), but the Geo does come with a related Android or iPhone app and geofencing for a degree of home/away mode automation.

And, like the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Emerson Sensi, the Geo doesn’t require a C-wire to operate. Not sure what that means? Check out this post for more details.